A Swedish showdown on a European stage: Hammarby face Hacken in Europa Cup final

[p]It will also be the first final in the history of major European competitions to feature two teams from Sweden, as [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/hammarby/x8hzI4Id/"]Hammarby[/a] of Stockholm take on [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/hacken/bDld9pGs/"]Hacken[/a] from Gothenburg.[/p][p]Ahead of the first leg, here is Flashscore's guide to the final, with everything you need to know ahead of kick-off.[/p][h2]When is the UEFA Women's Europa Cup final?[/h2][p]The format of the final is something of a throwback to European club competitions of old, as the final will be played over two legs, one hosted by each of the two finalists. The dates and times for the matches is as follows:[/p][p][b]Saturday, 25th April:[/b] First leg: [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/game/soccer/hacken-bDld9pGs/hammarby-x8hzI4Id/?mid=zD8xlNKq"][b]Hammarby vs Hacken[/b][/a] - 3Arena, Stockholm [i](15:00 CEST)[/i][/p][p][b]Friday, 1st May:[/b] Second leg: [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/game/soccer/hacken-bDld9pGs/hammarby-x8hzI4Id/?mid=MT6pn1kd"][b]Hacken vs Hammarby[/b][/a] - Nordic Wellness Arena, Gothenburg (16:00 CEST)[/p][p]If the aggregate scores are level at the end of the second leg, extra time and, potentially, penalties will be required to separate the sides.[/p][image alt="The 30,000-seater 3Arena hosts the first leg" id="11f025a8-9dd9-421a-a05a-1f0808ab694a" credit-line="Kenta Jönsson / Bildbyran Photo Agency / Profimedia" guid="cea4a708-5431-4bc2-8df9-01820e06186b" original-width="1400" original-height="856" /][h2]What is the UEFA Women's Europa Cup[/h2][p]In 2021, two decades on from the inaugural UEFA Women's Champions League, the introduction of a second-tier women's European competition was proposed. In late 2024, it was announced that the competition, [b]set to begin in the 2025/26 season, would be called the UEFA Women's Europa Cup.[/b][/p][p]Including those participating across the two rounds of qualifying, [b]this season's maiden Europa Cup featured 43 teams[/b] from 29 countries. 31 teams entered the competitions having been eliminated in Champions League qualification.[/p][p]Qualification whittled the field down to 16 teams who entered the competition proper at the Round of 16 stage in November, before the quarter-finals in February and semi-finals in March. As with the final, the competition followed the two-legged, straight knockout format throughout.[/p][h2]How did Hammarby and Hacken reach the final?[/h2][p]A narrow defeat to [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/manchester-united/4EeCFcxJ/"]Manchester United[/a] saw Hammarby knocked out of the Champions League in the second qualifying round. A strong first leg saw them beat Norway's [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/brann/G23EI9Ep/"]Brann[/a] in their Europa Cup qualifier and reach the Round of 16, where they won 3-1 in both legs against [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/ajax/thfc1rO7/"]Ajax[/a].[/p][p]Their quarter-final against Sporting CP was a much tougher affair, with both sides winning their respective away leg 1-0, [b]but five perfect penalties in the shootout sent Bajen to the last four,[/b] where they won 3-2 in Czech Republic before getting the job done with a 2-0 home win over [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/sparta-prague/bBYdAIQq/"]Sparta Prague[/a].[/p][p]Hacken entered the Champions League a round later - the third qualifying round - but a 3-2 aggregate defeat to [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/atl-madrid/M9eddp7L/"]Atletico Madrid[/a] saw them drop down into the Europa Cup qualifiers, where they cruised past [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/gks-katowice/YHBa1YgB/"]GKS Katowice[/a] of Poland 7-1 on aggregate to reach the Round of 16.[/p][p]There, one goal across the 180 minutes was enough to beat [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/inter/xQttQvNr/"]Inter Milan[/a], before a quarter-final that could not have been more different, [b]thumping Breidblik of Iceland 11-1 on aggregate, thanks in large part to a 7-0 home win[/b]. They reached the final with a 3-1 aggregate win over [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/eintracht-frankfurt/C6sxeOzB/"]Eintracht Frankfurt[/a].[/p][embed guid="3117131b-2e65-481a-b817-75ea8137f30c" url="https://x.com/hammarbyfotboll/status/2046250321689629177" social-type="twitter" /][h2]A slice of Swedish history[/h2][p]This tie will be the first time two Swedish sides have met in a European final. In fact, [b]it is the first time Sweden has had any representation in a continental showpiece since [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/tyreso/t2fq3KjM/"]Tyreso[/a] were beaten by [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/wolfsburg/Yaedf2i2/"]Wolfsburg[/a] in the 2014 Women's Champions League final.[/b][/p][p]Between 2002 and 2008, the Swedish flag flew at all but one Women's Champions League final, as [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/umea/rZYttJGG/"]Umea[/a] were twice winners (2003, 2004) and three-time runners-up (2002, 2007, 2008), while [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/djurgarden/nPUp5lI4/"]Djugarden[/a] were silver medallists in 2005.[/p][p][b]On the men's side, not since [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/ifk-goteborg/UovQtopk/"]IFK Goteborg[/a]'s 1987 UEFA Cup victory over [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/dundee-utd/8QEB2FFp/"]Dundee United[/a] has a Swedish team reached a major final.[/b] That was Blavitt's second triumph in the competition after 1982, while [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/malmo-ff/tYNTdpar/"]Malmo[/a]'s defeat to [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/nottingham/UsushcZr/"]Nottingham Forest[/a] in the 1979 European Cup final remains the only time a Swedish club has featured in the continent's biggest club match.[/p][h2]What can we expect from the final?[/h2][p]We cannot learn much from the 2026 Damallsvenskan, which is only two rounds old, but it is worth noting that both sides have two wins from two so far.[/p][p]Last season, both sides won their home league H2H match without conceding, but it was Hacken who won the title, four points clear of Hammarby, plus, [b]Getingarna have also won four of the last five in all competitions against the Stockholm outfit.[/b][/p][p]Including in the qualifying rounds, Hammarby have won three and lost one home game in the competition, but have won three and drawn one away. Hacken have won two, drawn one and lost one of their away ties, but boast a perfect home record. Fans can expect a very close final over the two legs.[/p][p]Hacken fans will pin their hopes on [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/schroder-felicia/vBijkSOn/"]Felicia Schroder[/a] being the difference-maker, the Sweden international has scored four times in the competition already. Norway's [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/hasund-vilde/hAWIF2b1/"]Vilde Hasund[/a] and local youngster [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/peterson-fanny/jHLIlebM/"]Fanny Peterson[/a] are the only Hammarby players to strike twice in the competition proper, but both came up with crucial goals against Sparta Prague in the semi-finals.[/p][embed guid="918b1b47-1668-4be2-aa4a-e914cdd8a209" url="https://x.com/bkhackenofcl/status/2040338688719110176" social-type="twitter" /][h2]What's being said ahead of the first leg?[/h2][p]Hacken head coach [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/sadiku-elena/25ysLwuT/"]Elena Sadiku[/a], who ended her playing career at Hammarby, was keen to highlight the significance of the tie to football in Sweden.[/p][p][b]"We will have a Swedish team that will win the Women's Europa Cup, and that's fantastic for Swedish football. It's a good start to the season for us both, so it's going to be interesting and fun to see how it goes,"[/b] she told UEFA.[/p][p]Hammarby's Hasund was less interested in the sentiment and showed her side's ambition.[/p][p][b]"It's fantastic to get to play a final in Europe. It's huge, and it means a lot. We've previously won the Swedish league title, the cup, and now we want to go for a European title as well."[/b][/p][p][b][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/soccer/europe/uefa-europa-cup-women/"]Follow the UEFA Women's Europa Cup final on Flashscore.[/a][/b][/p]